The Young Consort Wants to Live Quietly

Chapter 7

***

Her already large eyes widened even further the moment they met his. Mirinae was puzzled by the child’s immediate response to bow her head deeply, but he soon understood the reason behind it when a palace maid handed him an eye patch.

You saw my eyes.

Mirinae was hiding his true identity. Of course, Yehwa and a few of her close aides knew, but that didn’t mean it was okay for his secret to be revealed to just anyone.

The child seemed terrified by what she had seen, stiff with fear. It was a relief that she didn’t burst into tears—quiet was good—but that didn’t soften the chill in Mirinae’s gaze.

I must keep a close watch.

It was the kind of statement that would have Sanya tearing her hair out if she knew.

That’s what Mirinae thought as he spoke a few more words to the child, and Sanya barely managed to respond, like a frog in front of a snake. Until that moment, Sanya had been a child trembling with fear at the sight of Mirinae’s blood-red eyes.

But when their eyes met again shortly after, Mirinae was taken aback.

Where had the intimidated consort gone, and who was this carefree child sitting before him?

Sleepiness and annoyance filled Sanya’s eyes. Mirinae involuntarily twitched the corners of his mouth at the sight, which he couldn’t hide.

Mirinae’s eyes were disgustingly red, as if reflecting blood itself. The thin pupils made it difficult for most people to look directly at his eyes, and there had been children who went into fits upon seeing them.

How long had they been looking at each other? Was she not afraid?

At his reaction, Sanya’s eyes widened again. The sleepiness clinging to her youthful face was finally shaken off.

Mirinae finally came to his senses and smiled. It was late at night, and considering the child was still young, it made sense she would be sleepy. After a moment’s contemplation, Mirinae picked her up and laid her down on the bed. His action was entirely appropriate in front of Yehwa, as he had been acting warm and gentle in her presence.

However, he made a mistake after placing Sanya on the bed: he caught sight of her feet.

“…Small.”

He thought to himself unintentionally. Sanya’s feet were indeed tiny, even smaller than his hands. They were adorned in elaborate silk shoes.

He knew from experience that those shoes, though beautiful, were painful to wear. The shoes Sanya was wearing looked new, which made them seem even more likely to be painful.

Without realizing it, Mirinae took off her shoes and placed them neatly aside. Beside his hand, another hand holding the same shoes touched down. He only snapped back to reality when Sanya expressed her discomfort with a voice of gratitude.

Mirinae thought blankly, uncharacteristically for him

What have I done?

***

I shook my groggy head a couple of times. My eyes must have been puffy, as a palace maid who passed by me startled and then moved on.

“I didn’t get enough sleep after all.”

After Mirinae returned to his palace last night, I lay in the same bed as the Empress. Of course, without any physical contact.

I wanted to sleep right away but bit my lip and held back. My sleeping habit involved rolling around everywhere, and I had realized last night, after falling off a long chair while sleeping, that this habit hadn’t changed even though my body had.

The thought of accidentally throwing a leg over the Empress while sleeping was utterly out of the question, especially since I had drunk alcohol and was likely to fall asleep quickly. I waited for that moment, earnestly listening to her breathing, but what returned to me was the Empress stirring awake. She then lay there without moving, surely staring at me.

I felt a tingling sensation above my eyes, confirming my suspicion, and I carefully tried not to let my eyes twitch.

The Empress, who had been quietly observing me curled up like a shrimp, stroked my forehead. It was a touch so gentle, as if she was afraid of breaking me.

“Poor thing.”

Her voice was indifferent. At those words, my body stiffened.

Ah, that pity. The same pity that had kept the original Sanya alive and then led to her death in the story.

The Empress looked down at me for a while, and I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. And now, under the sunlight, I’m dozing off like a sick chicken, the result of that night.

“My lady, here’s some refreshing fruit juice. Would you like to try it?”

Awakened from a light doze by the maid’s words, I took the bowl she offered, and the maid chuckled softly at my bewildered acceptance.

“…What is this?”

“It’s Jaepyun juice. It’s both sweet and slightly bitter, perfect for waking up…”

This must be the same fruit that embarrassed me yesterday. Why does this world keep challenging me?

I stared at the bowl filled with juice, torn between refusing the kindness offered and the possibility of spitting it all over the maid’s face. After pondering for a while, I eventually pushed the bowl back towards her.

“…Could you, perhaps…”

“My lady?”

“Could you add some honey to it?”

Oh, damn. How embarrassing.

Asking for honey in my drink at my age felt just as humiliating as yesterday, if not more so because I had to ask twice.

It’s just that my taste has become juvenile. I used to down Americanos with three shots like they were water…

Avoiding eye contact, I noticed the maid still standing there dumbly. As I looked back at her, feeling the ache in my arm, she snapped out of her daze with a startled “Oh!” and took the bowl.

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

The maid left the room politely after responding.

I intended to sleep a bit more until she returned, but the sound of panicked “What do we do! What do we do! This is too―” from outside jolted me awake as if I’d been splashed with cold water.

Was asking for honey really such a big deal?

Feeling an unreasonable sense of guilt as if I had asked her to commit a grand task, I waited for the maid’s return without falling back asleep. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before she returned, her face oddly flushed, and handed me the bowl.

After thanking her with a grateful look, I took a sip from the bowl. The juice, now with ice, looked refreshing. I’ve always preferred cold water but felt too self-conscious to ask for ice.

I took a sip with anticipation and immediately stiffened. This time, it was so sweet that it made my tongue hurt.

“Is it alright?”

Unable to affirm or deny when the maid asked, I wondered if she was purposely tormenting me.

In the end, I had to drink all of the painfully sweet juice. The bright, eager eyes of the maid standing before me made it impossible to leave any behind.

Despite the terrible taste while drinking it, consuming something sweet and cold did indeed make me feel more awake.

Just like yesterday, I dismissed the maids and sank deep into thought.

Yesterday, Mirinae showed a surprisingly soft side. To describe it in an ill-fitting manner, he was like pudding. It seemed like an overdone act in front of the Empress, but indeed, he appeared to be under some sort of spell.

However, that doesn’t mean Mirinae will just let things slide.

Given that the Empress has been paying more attention to this particular consort, adding to the annoyance is a child from the Yeoran family with unknown schemes. He will probably investigate how I lived back at home.

Well, that aside…

As I was about to move past that thought, a sudden realization made me lift my head.

Is it really none of my concern?

In the original story, Sanya from the Yeoran family was truly kind and gentle. She would smile and never complain, no matter what she was asked to do. This was the case even when Giyun Yeoran, having forgotten about his youngest daughter, sent her to the palace.

Giyun sent Sanya to the palace for that very reason. He thought the young girl was so good at acting that he considered her nothing more than a foolish girl who knew nothing beyond herself.

The servants were eager to torment Sanya, but that was back when she was considered a worthless nobody. They wouldn’t want to admit to mistreating the Empress’s consort, so they would claim to have treated Sanya Yeoran with utmost care, no matter who asks.

How is it that this household is of no help at all?

I was about to bang my head against the bed but stopped myself, thinking it would only hurt, and if I somehow got injured, I’d be interrogated about where the injury came from.

Even during my bath yesterday, when they saw the scars on my back and asked where they came from, I had to explain that I wasn’t raised to be an assassin.

This body had many scars from childhood abuse, from hands roughened by housework to deep, lasting scars.

Giyun had ordered all the servants not to touch Sanya from the moment he decided to send her to the palace as a consort and had tried to erase the scars.

Despite using every possible method to remove the scars and make the skin glow, one long scar on the back remained.

It was a scar from being whipped as a child. Sanya had to work before the wound could heal, causing the injury to worsen and leave a large scar.

It was a bitter fact for Giyun Yeoran, having to pretend to be a father who reluctantly sends his despised illegitimate daughter to the terrifying palace.

I looked at my hands. They were soft, without any signs of the hard work they had endured, as if the callouses and discoloration from all the rough work had never existed.

If they were going to spend so much money, they should have treated her well from the start.

Caught in these thoughts, I sighed deeply. In any case, the conclusion was that I would have to undergo ideological scrutiny by Mirinae for a while.

Ah. Why did I even start thinking about this?

With a grim face, pondering the end of the world, I got up. Staying put wouldn’t change anything, and I had things to do.

When I opened the door, the maids were still standing there. Seeing them made me feel a bit troubled.

They looked exactly the same as when I left yesterday. Even if they were monitoring me, wasn’t this a bit much? People need to rest and change shifts. Standing 24 hours must be exhausting.

I wanted to tell them to go rest, but I knew they would take it as a chance to flee.

I exhaled softly and told the nearest maid.

“I’d like to take a walk for a bit.”